Guesthouse Thalassa — Hotel in Manado

I arrived alone and was joined by a friend after a few days. I had two different rooms (before and after four nights in other places). Both were quiet, super clean, and opened onto a sturdy, breezy deck. There are also rooms at the lower pool level, which my friend enjoyed. One ofmy rooms had an A/C unit that could have been activated for 40,000 rupiah per day (cheap), but I was fine with the ceiling fan.||||While by myself, I bird-watched and snorkeled. I walked about a quarter mile to a channel through the mangroves and had the beach pretty much to myself. There are a few easy-to-enter snorkel sites in walking distance, where I felt safe to swim alone. There is a lovely reef and a sandy harbor. The beach is basically a bit of sand over a thousand years of broken coral, so it's better for shell-hunting and walking rather than lounging.||||The 4 Fish is in a residential area and subject to the activity of a village: motorbikes, construction, roosters, kids playing, etc. Because the guesthouse was so homey and comfortable, I wasn't disturbed by the activity; it felt like I was part of the community. I tend to be fussy about noise, so I guess this is evidence of the relaxation I felt in Sulawesi. There is a warung next door where I had a good lunch of noodles and stuffed tofu for well under a dollar. I saw other warungs on my walks but didn't try them.||||The hosts, Ineke and Jan, are mostly available at breakfast and dinner times, but show up on errands at other times. They are cheerful and patient, generous with advice and assistance. They are also polite to their employees. Breakfasts were similar to what I'd eat at home (toast and egg), but dinners had a soup course, a selection of vegetable and meat dishes, and a dessert. The food was well-prepared and pleasantly varied.||||Many excursions are available. In hindsight, I enjoyed spending two nights at Tangkoko, but wish I'd had the 4 Fish arrange day trips to Bunaken for me instead of staying on the island. My friend and I rented their motorbike to explore the region and we had a great time on smooth new roads.||||I look forward to...

Please read my previous review ("A hidden gem") about the the 4 Fish in 2014 first. After a few years we've returned to the 4 Fish because of the good memories i had of this place. This time we've booked two (standard) rooms. This place still lookes lovely and has a nice setting. The size of the rooms aren't big but good enough. Same as for the small combination of toilet and shower. Both rooms were clean. Tip for the future is to place a safe, i think many guests will appreciate it. There is no tv available, but didn't miss that at all (you won't miss it). Previous time i gave the 4 Fish 5 out of 5, but this time i changed it to 4 out of 5. The reason is, and please consider this as positive feedback, the worn-out mattrasses. They are really in bad shape. We talked about it with one of the owners. Within their possibilities, they solved the problem asap. The problem was recognized and i truly hope it will be fixed soon. One small other note is the pressure of the sink, it could be a bit better, but for us it was ok. The pool is still in good shape and they even now have the spa finished next to it. Tip: book your treatment in advance! For breakfast and diner you cannot choose what you would like to eat, that's up to the chef/owners. Breakfast is western, diner is Indonesian and tastefull but adapted to western tourists. Just like previous time, you will have to like it to have diner with the other guests and owner(s). Same as before, this was no problem for us at all. It is possible to arrange different excursions or to rent a scooter to explore the beautiful villages around. Wi-fi is available, but works slow (tip: buy a 70.000 rph - 30gb data simcard). We had a good time, again and still consider this a special place to return to. Selamat tinggal!|Room: + Bed: -|Bathroom: +/-|Staff: +|Facilities:...

Mixed feelings about this beautiful place, mainly because it's too expensive in comparison to other accommodations around and for what is offered|+ good food in nice atmosphere |+ friendly, helpful owner which gave us a ride from the city on the way back from a shopping trip|+ nice pool in lovely garden|+ beautiful terrasse, they have an eye for detail |- rooms are small, bathoom tiny, little privacy |- access to drinks and books closed during most of the day and late evening, when owners are gone/asleep |- oweners insisted to book a hugely expensive taxi service with them, which we didn't want and told them: we asked to get a taxi ordered early morning (5AM) and they refused to call one and said they will drive. But not for the 200.000 they indicated on their price list but 275.000 as some ridiculous early morning surcharge was applied to it - and that's de facto 300% more expensive than a cab. We didn't find out until we paid the bill.|- we booked a tour to Tangkoko NP with them which you should definitely not do but rather organise it on your own with a private car from the city (supposedly costs around 350.000). The owners paired us up for the tour with a Dutch couple from another hotel close by. The tour did not only not get cheaper with more people (we still paid 1.2 Mio pP as per price list) but the Dutch couple paid less: only 950.000. So, 4 people together sharing a car and a guide - with different prices! The owner didn't offered us the "Dutch" price of 950.000 pP when we confronted them with the unreasonable price difference. Understandably, that leaves a bitter...